Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Stigma, Activism, and Well-Being among People Living with HIV

Evidence demonstrates that
HIV stigma undermines the psychological and physical health of people living
with HIV (PLWH). Yet, PLWH describe engaging in HIV activism to challenge
stigma, and research suggests that individuals may benefit from activism.

Results of regression analyses suggest that PLWH who
experienced greater enacted stigma engaged in greater HIV activism.
Anticipated, internalized, and perceived public stigma, however, were unrelated
to HIV activism. Moreover, results of a multivariate analysis of variance
suggest that HIV activists reported greater social network integration, greater
social well-being, greater engagement in active coping with discrimination, and
greater meaning in life than non-activists. Yet, HIV activists also reported
somewhat greater depressive symptoms than non-activists, suggesting that the
association between HIV activism and well-being is complex. By differentiating
between HIV stigma mechanisms, the current study provides a more nuanced
understanding of which experiences of HIV stigma may be associated with HIV
activism. It further suggests that engagement in activism may offer benefits to
PLWH, while raising the possibility that activists could experience greater
depressive symptoms than non-activists.

Given the preliminary nature of this
study, future research should continue to examine these complex associations
between HIV stigma, activism, and well-being among PLWH. As this work
continues, PLWH, as well as interventionists and clinicians invested in
improving well-being among PLWH, should carefully weigh the benefits and
potential costs of activism.